


Dusk

by aebecee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Supernatural Elements, Wizards, all of them can use magic, but idk, descriptions of violence bcs of fight scenes, i still dont know how to tag im sorry, side!chensung, side!nohyuck, there will be fight scenes, there will be mentions of death but no major character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-08-04 09:42:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16344410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aebecee/pseuds/aebecee
Summary: After a few minutes of silence, Renjun asked in a small voice, “Don’t you think it’s quite funny?”Jaemin looked up from the book he was reading, “What?”“That they call it blessings of the sun and moon,” Renjun spoke slowly, still flipping through the pages of the book he was holding, “When in reality, it is a curse that seals the fate of its vessels,”Dusk — the glow that remains after the day ends; the darker part of twilight before the night begins; the fleeting moment when the sun and moon are in the same sky.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alternative title: Sun & Moon  
> Disclaimer: This fic is purely fictional. All the events that will happen here hold no truth in them. Please read the tags!

The rain was pouring heavily but the water that flooded the floor was nowhere near clear. It was dyed crimson red from the blood of the countless lifeless bodies on that very ground. There were several stabs on their bodies, but those were not caused by a simple sword. Those stabs were inflicted through a strong magical energy that took the form of thousands of pointed shards, sharp enough to bore holes on their bodies.

There was a cloaked figure looking at the lifeless bodies with an emotionless expression. It was a small child, who almost looked harmless if not for the blood splattered on the cloak draped over the small body. The child was emitting a very strong magical energy, too strong, that it sent shivers down everyone's spines. They knew they had to run because no one would be spared.

Those who were still alive hoped for a silent escape but the pouring rain made it impossible. There were wizards who bravely faced the small child, to make time for the rest of their clan to escape, but there were already shards buried deep down their flesh before they could even cast their first spell. Their resistance was futile. No one could escape from the small child; the child who carried within him the power of the gods, the power that was supposed to be their race's saving grace.

That night, after the rain had stopped, the horrified shrieks, the screams of agony, the cries for help — everything stopped as well. There was only silence as the moon above gleamed red, almost reflecting the ground that was covered in crimson blood. The red moon stayed for several days, as if it was mourning for the innocent lives lost that night; the lives of its people who were wrongfully killed by its very own vessel.

 

 

Renjun was running late for his first class, he barely made it through the closing huge gates of the Academy and yet, he was faced with another obstacle. There were beads of sweat on his forehead as he struggled to get through the crowded hallway, shoulders bumping into another's with his every step.

He hoped he would somehow make it through but his pleas were not heard when he suddenly found himself stumbling forward, losing his balance. His immediate reaction was to close his eyes and wait for his face to meet the floor, but he felt a strong grip on his arm instead. He was spun around, landing on someone's cozy chest. Upon unconsciously inhaling the sweet strawberry scent, he was convinced that whoever that was smelled good, he would have nuzzled on the warmth of the other if they were not in the middle of the hallway.

“Do I smell that good?” a deep voice echoed dangerously close to his ear, too close, it brought him back to reality, cheeks burning in embarrassment.

“Excuse me,” Renjun quickly pulled away from the other's hold and straightened himself. He mentally cursed when he met the gaze of the mage across him. It was Na Jaemin, of all people.

“Excuse you,” Jaemin mocked, still with that annoying grin on his face.

Renjun was reminded once again why he hated Na Jaemin. The pink haired mage was tall, charismatic, confident, and most of all, so sinfully attractive. He would have been swooned by the other if not for the smirk that was always plastered on that gorgeous face, it always drove Renjun to the edge, in a bad way. He hated Jaemin's guts.

It took everything in him to stop himself from casting a spell to wipe off the grin on Jaemin's face, after all, use of magical spells outside classes without permission was prohibited. He could not risk getting a detention for a stupid reason.

The older did not plan to easily back out from their staring competition but the ringing bell reminded him of his first class for that day, Professor Seo's alchemy class, “Oh shit,” he muttered before hurriedly looking at the nearest wall clock with widened eyes, shoving the younger across him out of the way. He had a feeling that Professor Seo would not be so nice if he was late.

“Watch your step, Huang,” Jaemin still had that stupid grin on his face as he watched the small figure of the other disappear on the far end of the hallway. Had Renjun paid more attention, he would have heard the slight concern on the voice of the other.

 

“I hate him,” Renjun muttered under his breath while chewing on his food, eyes glaring at a certain pink haired mage happily chatting with his small circle of friends across the dining hall.

“Jun, please,” Donghyuck scoffed at his roommate, “Stop obsessing over the boy,”

“I am not,” Renjun spat back.

“Whatever floats your boat,” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, “Doesn't change the fact that you're seating with him for your next class,”

“You mean, our next class,” Renjun quirked his brows, “and you're seating with Lee Jeno,”

Before the start of the semester, the seat plans for each of their classes were posted on the Academy’s bulletin boards and that was how they knew their assigned seats for their next class, history.

With a single flick of Donghyuck's finger, Renjun found himself on the floor, landing on his butt with a thud, “Lee Donghyuck!”

In a matter of seconds, the two mages' table became a mess. There were plates flying around, mayonnaise and mustard splattered messily, a tray of vegetables was left discarded on the floor. It was only the first week of the school year but other mages already knew better than to interrupt the two; it would be bad to get involved.

“Spellcaster Huang, Bowmaster Lee!” an authoritative voice echoed throughout the huge hall, “Detention after class, both of you,” the owner of the voice was the Head of the Academy, Professor Kim. It was only then when the two mages stopped their childish fight with constipated expressions on their faces, each blaming the other for the mess.

“Lunch is over, go back to your classes,” Professor Kim announced to everyone in the hall, “See you two later,” he eyed the two mages who remained frozen on their spots, seemingly regretting their life decisions, but it was too late.

The mages filed out of the dining hall one by one, but a certain pink haired specifically walked on the aisle near the blonde, “Real mature, Huang,” he whispered lowly with a smug grin on his face, making sure that the other would still hear him.

Renjun groaned internally. In the end, he still ended up in detention for a stupid reason.

“Why are we even friends,” Donghyuck mumbled before starting to clean their mess, manually, with a wet cloth he was not sure where the other got it from.

“You're one to talk, Hyuck,” Renjun sighed.

 

Fortunately, Professor Moon was still preparing his materials for the class when Renjun and Donghyuck arrived, breathing heavily from all the running they did. The history professor let them in without much question, he was informed beforehand of the mess the two troublemakers did. It was their first time meeting their history professor that day and Renjun hoped that he did not make a bad impression for himself.

Renjun proceeded to his assigned seat on the far back of the lecture hall. He sat uncomfortably on his seat knowing that a certain pink head would be beside him. The younger mage had his elbow propped on his desk, chin resting on his palm. Through Renjun's peripheral vision, he knew that the other was staring at him. He tried his best to ignore it but it distracted him, a lot. When he finally turned toward the other, he was met with a victorious grin.

Jaemin knew he was successful on getting on Renjun's nerves when a glare was thrown at his direction. He loved it whenever the older mage glared at him, it almost looked cute.

“Will you stop?” Renjun whispered in an irritated voice.

“What?” Jaemin raised his brow.

“That,”

“Huang, you gotta tell me what it is,” Jaemin smirked.

“S-staring,” Renjun stuttered as he unconsciously avoided the younger's amused gaze.

It was quite endearing how easy it was for Jaemin to get Renjun flustered despite the older mage's claims about hating the younger with so much passion. The pink head wanted to tease the other more but Professor Moon's voice interrupted him.

“First of all, I'd like to apologize for only showing up today,” the history professor called the class' attention, “I had been very busy attending matters at the Capital's Tower. As this is my first time meeting you all, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Moon Taeil, aside from being a professor, I also work at the Tower,”

Jaemin and Renjun fully turned their attention to the professor along with the other mages in the lecture hall; they acknowledged the presence of their professor, looking at him with admiration in their eyes. He was a well-known wizard, probably one of the strongest Spellcaster Wizards out there.

After the brief introductions, Professor Moon proceeded with his lecture, “For this afternoon, we will be talking about the Solar Stone and Lunar Stone,” he announced which earned a groan from everyone.

“Again?”

“Sol and Luna?”

“Professor, we have been taught about them since we were kids!”

Professor Moon raised his hand to stop the negative reactions, “I am well aware of that, but it is necessary that we build our history class on a concrete foundation, the very foundation of our race,”

 

Ever since the ancient times, the great race of magic users has been in a constant war with evil beings from the Dark Continent, demons. Naturally, having the ability to control elements for offensive and defensive purposes, the magic users took on the role of protecting the world from those evil beings. Upon offering their services to protect the humans, the gods decided to reward them for their noble act in the form of Solar Stone and Lunar Stone, each carrying god-like powers.

Every century, two children from any magic user clan would be born to be the vessels of the Stones. Sol, the vessel of the blessings of the Sun, would have the life-giving power along with the strongest magical energy known to the world. On the other hand, Luna, the vessel of the blessings of the Moon, would have the destructive power along with the most intricate spells that even the Capital's Tower could not decipher.

Since the power of the stones would be too strong, they would need each other to balance the unearthly power they possess. The two vessels would go hand in hand to protect the world from the beings of the Dark Continent. They would be on the forefront of the war, leading the movement of the great race of magic users toward victory.

“Professor, if the vessels are supposed to lead us, where are they right now?” a mage interrupted their history professor.

“Oh, right. I heard from the elders of my clan that the 16th vessels weren't publicized,” another mage added in a hushed whisper, “They said it was an order from the Arc Wizard,”

The Arc Wizard. The history professor paused, eyes seemed distant and unfocused as he unconsciously recalled the events of that night when he confronted the Arc Wizard, the highest magic user of their race and also his old friend, Taeyong.

 

“What are you trying to do?” Taeil asked in disbelief as he slammed both of his hands on the huge oak table separating him from the Arc Wizard.

“My orders remain the same,” Taeyong said firmly, “Summon the Northern Head Wizard and the Southern Head Wizard, I need them to take custody of each of the children,” he turned to the Capital's Head Wizard, Jaehyun.

The tension was heavy inside the room. Jaehyun would have sided with Taeil but the Arc Wizard's orders were absolute so Jaehyun reluctantly stood up and excused himself to issue a summon request for the said Head Wizards.

“Why?” Taeil asked quietly a few seconds after Jaehyun left the room, “The vessels need to grow up together, they need to build a bond to keep each other in check! You, of all people, must know that if you do that, they would not be able to control the stones!”

Taeyong stood up from his seat, “I know, Taeil, I know,” he paced back and forth, “Trust my words on this, please,”

“I do not understand, Taeyong. What are you _not_ telling us?”

Taeyong halted and turned to look at Taeil straight in the eyes. It was only then when the professor realized how grave the situation was, “If I do not do this, they would end up killing each other,”

 

“Professor?” a mage called the attention of Professor Moon.

That brought the history professor back to the four walls of the lecture hall, “Ah, yes. I apologize,” he cleared his throat, “As for that, we are in no position to question the Arc Wizard. However, the Tower assures us that the vessels are receiving sufficient trainings at the moment and will always be readily available to aid us,”

“Aw, that's no fun, I want to meet them someday,” one of the young mages said, “My grandparents said that the 15th vessels were amazing,”

“They were indeed amazing,” the history professor smiled slightly at the direction of the young mage, “but all the vessels were amazing in their own ways,” Professor Moon added and went on with the different traits and remarkable achievements of the previous vessels through the centuries.

As the discussion went on, Jaemin noticed how Renjun would shift uncomfortably on his seat every now and then. The blonde mage was not even paying attention to him nor the class anymore. It looked like he was in a world of his own, dealing with the voices inside his head that only he could hear.

“Professor, have you heard of the Red Moon?” a curious question came from another mage, “Is it true that the 16th Luna was the culprit behind the massacre of several elite clans 10 years ago?”

Silence. That was all that Jaemin heard. He lost focus without realizing it. The next thing he knew, the mages were already packing their things. In the sea of people trying to exit the lecture hall, he caught a glimpse of a certain blonde rushing out of the room, as if he was being chased.

A tap on his shoulder made him turn his head, “Jaem, are you okay?” Jeno asked with a worried look on his face.

“I'm fine,” he quickly dismissed the other's questions before hurriedly packing his things, “Let's go, we can't be late for Professor Dong's class,” the pink haired dashed out of the room, quickly followed by a confused brunette.

Professor Moon watched the exchange of the two mages from his desk quietly. It was obvious that there was an unsettling feeling looming over the professor because of the evident crease on his forehead; he hoped his guess was not right. He heaved a sigh before looking at the time, he still had 2 hours before his next class, so he decided that he could pay his old friend a visit.

 

He knocked thrice before opening the door leading to the Arc Wizard's room. Taeyong looked up from the scrolls he was working on, not at all fazed by the professor's sudden visit.

“Why the sudden visit, Professor Moon?” the Arc Wizard greeted with a tired smile on his face. Professor Moon might be working at the Tower under the direct command of the Arc Wizard but they rarely saw each other.

“You always work so hard, Arc Wizard,” the professor occupied one of the seats in front of the Arc Wizard's huge oak table, “How are you doing with your work lately?”

“I would like to thank you for concern. To answer your question, everything is under control, but I know you did not come here for a simple chat, my friend, Taeil,” Taeyong said in an amused manner.

Taeil chuckled at that before leaning in, “Well then, I'll get straight to the point, Taeyong. Sol and Luna are here, right?” he asked with a hushed tone.

It caught Taeyong off guard but he was quick to hide it behind his usual stoic face, “You have to be more specific in that,”

 

“This year's batch of new mages... Sol and Luna are in the academy, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'm not sure if I explained it enough without explicitly mentioning it so I'll explain it a bit here! All of them are magic users but those who are still studying in the Academy are called mages while those who have already graduated are called wizards. Basically, they are promoted to the next level or rank.
> 
> Also, this is heavily influenced by all the fantasy stories I've read (disclaimer: i dont read hp) and an MMORPG called Ragnarok Online. I know it's still very confusing right now but I'll explain more about this universe in the next chapters, thank you for reading!
> 
> comments are greatly appreciated uwu


	2. Chapter 2

“We are what?” Renjun could not believe what he just heard.

Professor Dong turned his head upon hearing the violent reaction of a certain blonde mage, “Is there a problem, Spellcaster Huang?”

“I'm sorry, Professor Dong, but there must be a misunderstanding here,” the blonde stood up from his seat and walked toward the professor's desk, “I can't possibly be the most compatible mage with Na,”

“Well, I meticulously studied the results of your aptitude tests,” Professor Dong raised a brow at him, “Are you implying that I am wrong?”

It was only then when Renjun realized the situation. What in the world was he thinking when he stomped his way toward the professor's desk, throwing tantrums like a child?

His brain was still thinking of ways on how he can get away from the wrath of Professor Dong when he suddenly felt an arm snake around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“I apologize for my friend's behavior, Professor,” Jaemin flashed his infamous smile, “We just had a little argument earlier,”

“Friend?” Professor Dong turned to the blonde mage.

Renjun forced a smile, “Y-yes, right, friend,” it was followed by an awkward chuckle, “We are actually the best of friends even though it does not look like it most of the time,”

Jaemin was quick to respond to that, pulling the older mage even closer, it almost looked like he was putting the other in a chokehold because of their height differences, “Bestfriends,” he confirmed with a smile.

And with that, Professor Dong let them go with a sigh.

When the two mages turned around, Renjun immediately struggled to loosen Jaemin’s hold, “Hands off, you potato-head,”

“I suggest we keep the act of bestfriends if you don’t want to get on Professor Dong’s bad side,” Jaemin whispered, he loosened his hold but he kept his arms around the older’s shoulders, “I heard it’ll be _really_ bad,”

Of course, no one would want that, especially Renjun, so he let himself be manhandled back to his seat by a certain pink haired mage while muttering all the curses he knew under his breath. Jaemin softly pat his hair with a sickeningly sweet smile before walking back to his own seat as they were not seated beside each other for that class. Renjun could hear the not so subtle snickers of his roommate slash friend, Donghyuck, a few seats away from him.

Just when he thought that day would not get any worse, there was a sudden announcement made by Professor Dong while in the midst of his lecture, “I almost forgot to mention that your partners will be your partners in all of your classes for the rest of the school year,”

“Building camaraderie with the most compatible mage in your batch is one of the key factors that will help you survive in the battlefield,” the professor explained, “I am sure you will all thank me for partnering you with each other a few months from now,”

 

Renjun acknowledged that Professor Dong was a battle prowess, the best Bowmaster Wizard their race could ever ask. It would take him a week or two if he would list all the remarkable achievements of their professor, the most remarkable one being, successfully defending their territory from a sudden attempt of demons to invade the Western Border City at such a young age.

However, the result of Professor Dong’s compatibility study was still ridiculous. Renjun was almost convinced that the Academy was plotting against him. Why Na Jaemin, of all the mages out there?

He considered Jaemin as a pandemonium, a maelstrom that brought a chaos within him that he would never know how to deal with.

He hated how the pink head’s lips would curve into a small smile whenever he would throw a glare at his direction, he hated how his silly pink hair looked so soft, he hated how he still had that sweet strawberry scent with him despite sweating due to the humid afternoon air, and most of all, he hated how he looked absolutely gorgeous without even trying.

It all started during his first day at the Capital. He grew up in the Northern Border City, a secluded city away from people. He was usually just on his own, studying all the magical scrolls he was given, so it was a huge shock for him when he saw the crowd in the main plaza of the Capital. He was in awe at first but it felt like it triggered a fear rooted deeply within him. All the sounds suddenly came out muffled, his vision becoming blurry; he did not realize he was shaking.

In the midst of all of that, the warm hand of a pink haired stranger held his.

“It’s okay,”

Warmth spread throughout his entire being.

Maybe, he hated how Jaemin made his heart beat a little faster.

 

The next few days in the Academy came as a blur. It was just the usual classes he had to attend, the usual bickering with Donghyuck, the awkward small talk he exchanged with Jeno, a Swordmaster Mage like Jaemin, and of course, Jaemin, who was a constant in Renjun’s Academy life. He remembered the pink head talking to him about their history homework and upcoming practical examination, and so, that was why he was patiently waiting for the latter inside the Central Library, unconsciously drumming his fingers silently on the mahogany table.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” a certain pink head rushed to his side.

Renjun only raised a brow in response, “Seriously, Na? Didn’t you set the time for this?”

“I’m sorry, Professor Ten did not dismiss us on time,” Jaemin almost looked apologetic but there was still a grin on his face, internally cooing at the blonde who was glaring at him, “Should I take you out on a date to make up for it?” he smoothly said as he pulled the chair across the other to sit on it.

“Hey!” Renjun said in a voice that was a little too loud to hide his embarrassment, “That’s not what I meant!”

Shhhh, the librarian interrupted their small bickering; both of them slightly bowed their heads to acknowledge the warning and also to apologize for the disturbance.

Jaemin still had that annoying grin on his face when Renjun cleared his throat, “These are all the books that we need for the history paper- god, please, why are you so annoying, what is so funny?” the blonde exasperated. He wanted to pull his hair right then and there out of frustration. The pink head seemed to know exactly how to annoy the hell out of him. Yes, a simple smile was all that it would take.

“You’re cute,”

And that was all it took for Renjun to become a blushing mess, right in front of Jaemin.

The next second, they were kicked out of the Central Library as Renjun lunged forward to put the pink head in a chokehold.

 

“Now what,” Jaemin grumbled, eyeing all the history books the two of them had to carry from the Central Library. They moved to the Academy’s study hall because they still had to work on their homework.

“You deserve that,” Renjun muttered, “I certainly do not deserve this,”

“Whatever,” Jaemin rolled his eyes, “Let’s just get this over with, Huang,” he sighed before plopping on an empty chair, grabbing the nearest book on the table. They were assigned to further research about the Solar Stone and Lunar Stone.

Renjun did not even bother to respond, he just grabbed a book on the table, and leaned on a shelf a few meters away from the pink head. No one spoke after that. They did what they had to do silently, with the occasional exchange of ideas, necessary for their history paper. It was surprisingly a comfortable silence; even the two of them could not believe how well they got along, as long as they kept their mouths from spewing nonsense that was always starting their arguments.

After a few minutes of silence, Renjun asked in a small voice, “Don’t you think it’s quite funny?”

Jaemin looked up from the book he was reading, straining his neck to look at the blonde standing a few meters away from him, “What?”

“That they call it blessings of the sun and moon,” Renjun spoke slowly, still flipping through the pages of the book he was holding, “When in reality, it is a curse that seals the fate of its vessels,”

 

It was a long day, Renjun literally felt like his brain was roasted from all the books he had to read, not to mention a certain pink head that he had to deal with all day, he could already feel a really bad headache looming over him. He was silently walking back to the dormitories with the pink head by his side when a dolphin-like yell called their attention. When Renjun turned to the direction where the sound came from, he was tackled to the ground by a strong force, or rather, by someone with a messy mint green hair.

“Jun-ge!” another dolphin-like screech echoed loudly.

“Lele?” Renjun could not believe his eyes, “Chenle, it really is you!”

“I wanted to see you, ge,” Chenle dramatically proclaimed, “I missed you,”

Renjun almost rolled his eyes in response, “Please, drop the act, Lele,”

“Ha,” Chenle hopped off from the older mage who was sprawled on the ground, “I just tried my luck, I did not expect Kun-ge to actually allow me to visit the Capital,”

Qian Kun, the Northern Head Wizard. Chenle is a distant relative of the Northern Head Wizard, and the only friend Renjun ever had back in the Northern Border City.

The green head suddenly turned toward to the pink haired mage, “...and who is this radish-head?”

Jaemin, who was only watching the scene unfold before him, did not know if he should feel offended or not, but upon meeting the scrutinizing gaze of the newcomer, he knew he should, “What?”

Renjun stood up and dusted off his pants, “He’s my mage partner,” then he proceeded to introduce the two to each other. Jaemin learned that the green head newcomer was not so bad after all, just a little too loud for his liking.

“We’ll be fine, Jaemin, you can go ahead,” Renjun said after the brief introductions because the pink head was supposed to walk him back to his dorm.

Jaemin’s smile grew wider at that, “Of course, see you tomorrow, _Renjun_ ,” he made sure to enunciate Renjun’s name.

 

“What is so bad about that? You just called him by his first name?” Chenle was sitting on Renjun’s bed with a confused expression.

“Lele, you don’t understand,” another frustrated groan came out of the older mage as he paced back and forth, “I hate that devil with so much passion, ugh,”

“It does not look like it though?” Chenle raised a brow at him, “and Jun-ge, you sound like a dying whale,”

Renjun felt betrayed, but before he could even express it, the door to his dorm room opened, revealing a confused Donghyuck, looking at the two people inside the room, “What’s the commotion all about?”

Oh. He almost forgot about his roommate.

“Hyuck,” Renjun immediately ran to the doorway to assist his roommate with his things, his bag and the magic books he was carrying. Donghyuck remained frozen on his spot as he eyed the blonde suspiciously.

“Donghyuck-ah,” The blonde mage called again, accompanied by a melodious hum as he batted his pretty eyelashes.

“No,” Donghyuck shoved his roommate out of the way as he walked past him toward his side of the room. He already had an idea what the other wanted, but no, he wanted sleep that night, “He can’t sleepover, I could literally hear both of you from the hallway while I was on my way here,”

“Hyuck,” Renjun whined, “We’re not that noisy, I swear!”

“Injun, I get it, you’re cute, but still no,” Donghyuck sarcastically said, but he did not have any idea why Renjun suddenly looked away, cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

 _You’re cute_. It reminded Renjun of Jaemin’s words earlier that day and it was bad for his heart.

“It’s okay, Jun-ge, I’ll just stay over my friend’s house,” Chenle nonchalantly said before jumping off the bed with a thud, not even sparing a glance at the brunette who just came into the room.

Renjun’s mind was still floating elsewhere that he almost missed his green haired friend walking out of the door, “W-wait, Lele, let me at least walk you there!”

 

“And who is this friend of yours?” Renjun asked like a mother hen after recovering from his mental breakdown a few minutes ago, “I didn’t know you have a friend in the Capital?”

“Excuse me,” Chenle acted like he was offended, “Unlike you, I can socialize with other people, Jun-ge,”

“I know, and that’s not what I meant, you cabbage,”

Both of them giggled at that, “Well, I met him just earlier today, he said I could stay over if something happens,”

“That’s suspicious though?” the older mage frowned.

“He’s a magic user too, so I doubt it,” the younger replied with ease, “Besides, he’ll be entering the Academy next year like me!”

“Well, if you say so,” the older reluctantly agreed, gaze focusing back on the street ahead of them.

“But Jun-ge, about your roommate,”

That caused him to turn his head toward the younger again, “Hm, what about Donghyuck?”

 

“I don’t like him,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, there are three classifications of magic users: spellcasters, bowmasters, and swordmasters; each one having their own specializations and fighting styles which will be further explained in the next chapters~ thank you for reading!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for the delayed update ;;


	3. Chapter 3

“I don’t like where this is going,” Renjun whispered as he braced himself to shield another attack. He was in the Kordt forest, a vast land inhabited by Blue Wolf demons, located several hundred miles away from the Western Border City. Professor Dong, along with Professor Ten, casted a teleportation spell to transport all mages taking the practical examination to the said forest.

In front of Renjun was a pack of Blue Wolf demons, all prepared to lunge at him. He could single-handedly kill a normal Blue Wolf demon, but the demons in front of him were not the typical ones. Their eyes were glowing red, in contrast to their tails which were bright blue. He was not an expert regarding the classifications of demons but he knew that the demons in front of him were at least Class S demons. The existence of Class S Blue Wolf demon was a rare occurrence, but it was not impossible, and Renjun was just very unlucky to encounter several of them.

He summoned his mage staff, assuming a fighting stance. He nervously swallowed an invisible lump in his throat as he unconsciously recalled how he found himself in that situation.

 

The batch of new mages arrived at the infamous Kordt forest. It was a mystical forest, the light of the sun could never reach its grounds because of the overgrown trees standing tall, thus, creating the illusion of an eternal night within the forest. The Blue Wolf demons decided it was the perfect territory for them so they claimed it as theirs. Since then, no mortal has touched the forest again; the howling of wolves from a distance, along with the cold breeze, added up to the eerie atmosphere.

“For your first ever practical examination,” Professor Dong started after everyone had settled down, “I want you to go with your partners to kill a Blue Wolf demon and bring back a blue claw as a proof,”

All the mages looked around in worry, some could not contain their surprised gasps, “We have to kill a demon?” hushed whispers were exchanged.

“Now, now, everyone calm down,” Professor Ten spoke up to ease the worried mages, “I know that this is your first encounter with real demons but you just need to follow the theoretical approaches you learned in your classes, I assure you will all be fine,”

“That is the very reason why Professor Ten is here with us today,” Professor Dong added, “He specializes in recovery spells so you have nothing to worry about,”

And with that, all the mages went on their own ways to their first ever kill.

 

Well, with the exception of four mages who remained on their spots despite the signal of Professor Dong which marked the start of the practical examination. 

“I refuse to go with you,” Renjun stubbornly said.

“Renjun, do you realize how ridiculous you are acting right now?” Jaemin almost rolled his eyes, “Anyway, the feeling is mutual, just so you know,”

“Jaemin, will you please stop clinging on my partner so we can go?” Donghyuck interrupted the two bickering mages while attempting to separate Jeno, his mage partner, from the pink head who was hugging him like a koala.

“No way,” Jaemin tightened his grip, “There’s no way I’ll go with him, I bet he’ll leave me to die alone,”

“Surprise, you got it right,” Renjun sarcastically remarked.

Jeno heaved a sigh, “Jaem, please,”

It was followed by a sigh from Donghyuck as he massaged his temples with both of his hands, “Why am I stuck with idiots,”

“Is there a problem, mages?” Professor Dong approached the remaining four mages who had no plans to move from their spots.

“Professor, please,” Renjun immediately rushed toward the professor, “I can’t go with him,”

Professor Dong frowned, “I believe we have talked about this before. This is already the second time, Spellcaster Huang,”

“B-but Professor-”

Professor Ten walked toward the group with a sigh, “Sicheng, we do not have much time, just let them do whatever they want,”

“Fine,” Professor Dong surrendered, “I do not care how, just bring back a blue claw if you absolutely do not want to work with your partner,”

Renjun pumped his fist in the air with a triumphant smile on his face, “Well then, I’m off,” he waved the group a goodbye before sprinting toward the depth of the forest.

Jaemin just stared at the figure of his supposedly mage partner disappearing into the forest, completely dumbfounded, “Seriously? He just left me like that?”

“Well, whose fault is it, Na?” Donghyuck rolled his eyes before literally dragging Jeno, his mage partner, to the opposite direction of where Renjun ran into.

“Is it mine, huh?” Jaemin shouted, “It’s my fault now, really?” but the pink head was only met by silence, his loud voice echoing. It’s either the three mages were already far enough to not hear him or they just chose to ignore him.

Jaemin could only roll his eyes before politely excusing himself from the two professors, who looked like they had already given up, before running toward the depth of the forest as well.

“We have interesting mages in this year’s batch,” Ten mused.

“Interesting?” Sicheng chuckled, “More like a bunch of problematic kids,”

 

Renjun realized he was a big idiot. They were not tasked to go with their partners for no reason, but there was no way back anymore.

He casted a spell of fire to ward off the Blue Wolf demons before jumping backwards. He is a Spellcaster Mage; one classification of magic users specializing in long range combats, casting magical spells from afar, so it was really hard for him to keep up with the pace of the demons in close combat.

Once he made enough distance from the demons, he quickly assessed the situation. Originally, there were five Class S Blue Wolf demons attacking him. Through his persistent efforts, he managed to kill one of them, but that left him with four more enraged demons. A sweat trickled down his forehead, there was no way he could escape.

He knew the demons were growing impatient by the way their eyes glowed an even brighter shade of red. He had been prolonging the battle, in hope that someone would come for his aid, but it was hard to maneuver in the forest because of the thick fog, let alone locate someone who was in the deeper part.

He was slowly backing away, little steps at a time, while keeping his eyes trained on the four demons before him. He almost lost focus when his back hit a wall, or rather, a steep mountainside. It dawned on him that he was already at the heart of the forest, the Kordt Mountain, which was at the very center of the mystical forest. Just how far did he go?

 

Demons were vile creatures, and in that moment when they saw how Renjun’s eyes wavered even for just a second, they took that opportunity to attack. Renjun was trained by the Northern Head Wizard himself since he was young but one could only do so much against several Class S demons.

“Shit,” Renjun grunted as a demon managed to close the distance between them, biting his arm with its sharp teeth. He instinctively yanked it away, but a flesh of his arm was torn away at the act. He hissed in pain, but before he could even recover from the attack, there was another demon coming in from the other side. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to block it with his mage staff, the demon growling in annoyance upon biting the hard rod.

Renjun could only see red, he was not sure if it was because of the demons’ blood or his own blood; he could feel his entire body throbbing in pain from all the bites and scratches he could not avoid. His right arm was almost numb, but he could faintly feel blood dripping from it.

Three more demons.

The last three Class S Blue Wolf demons were surrounding him but his breathing was already ragged, he could barely keep himself standing by using his mage staff as a support. When he met the eyes of the Blue Wolf demon in the middle of the three, he could not help but curse internally. _Fuck._ He was so sure he was gonna die that moment.

 

“Renjun!”

Renjun was quick to dismiss the faint voice calling for him from a distance. He somehow recognized the voice, but he was convinced that the battle finally took its toll on him and it was only an illusion created by his tired mind. He continued casting quick spells while aimlessly swinging his mage staff to hold off the three demons but it was not as effective as he hoped it to be; the demons kept on advancing.

It all happened in almost a blink of an eye. The Blue Wolf demon in the middle of the three suddenly lunged forward without any warning, it caught Renjun off guard. The weakened mage could only close his eyes and shield his head from the attack with his mage staff and bloodied right arm, but the weight of the demon never came. Instead, he heard a pained growl followed by a loud thud, like something fell on the ground.

When Renjun slowly opened his eyes, he saw the back of the mage he least expected to see. There was no way he would not recognize that pink hair even in the dim forest. It was at that moment when he realized that the faint voice calling for him earlier was not an illusion made by his tired mind. It was none other than Jaemin; Jaemin came for him.

Jaemin was breathing heavily from all the running he did, “Renjun, I swear, what would have happened if I did not come on time?” he scolded while still keeping his eyes on the demons in front of them. He was holding his mage sword with both of his hands, steadily, against the demons to create some distance between them.

Jaemin said a few more words after that but Renjun’s exhausted mind could not register what were those anymore. The blonde’s legs finally gave out, he leaned back on the cold stone of the steep mountainside. He was suddenly hyper-aware of all his injuries, the sticky feeling of blood on his mage robes, and also the intense pain on his side. He was not so sure anymore how he managed to survive until that time.

 

“Renjun, keep yourself awake,” Jaemin almost yelled when he saw the older mage closing his eyes, “Ugh,” he scowled when he noticed one of the demons jumping at him when he turned his head to check the condition of the older. Despite the unexpected attack, he still swung his sword in the right trajectory which dealt a fatal slash on the neck, effectively taking down that demon. Jaemin is a Swordmaster Mage; one classification of magic users specializing in close combats, making use of magical swords and close range spells.

There were only two more demons left, he knew he was capable of dealing with those two but he was also aware that he had to tend to Renjun as soon as possible. That left him with no choice but to run, to escape. However, Blue Wolf demons were known for their fast reflexes and running ability so they needed some sort of distraction to be able to escape.

 

“Renjun,” Jaemin called out the older mage in the midst of his battle with the two demons, he was swinging his sword here and there while casting quick spells whenever he could. Being a Swordmaster Mage, he needed to touch his opponent before he could cast a magical spell, unlike Spellcaster Mages who cast spells from a distance.

“Y-yeah,” it was barely inaudible, followed by a fit of coughs, but it was still a response.

“Renjun, I need you to cast a distraction spell,” Jaemin said through gritted teeth, it was not easy to keep up with the pace of Class S demons, “We’re gonna get out of here before you die of blood loss,”

“I’m not sure if I have enough magical energy for that,” Renjun whispered as he steadied himself with his mage staff once again, “but let me try,”

A few seconds after that, Jaemin felt a magical energy slowly building up in the area. It was then when he knew that Renjun had successfully casted a distraction spell.

“We have 5 seconds to run,” Renjun shrilled, and that was Jaemin’s signal to swing his sword one last time, hitting one of the demons exactly on its left eye, before turning around to run toward Renjun.

“Wha-”

Without any word, Jaemin slipped his arms behind Renjun, lifting the older who was definitely not in the best condition to run. The older mage yelped in surprise, but immediately wrapped his arms around the younger’s neck out of instinct because they were running at the fastest speed possible. They could hear the angered growls of the demons, and they knew that they would be following closely behind soon so Jaemin was just running blindly, without any direction in mind.

The two mages thought that their plan was perfect but Jaemin’s eyes widened when he saw what was ahead of them. He immediately grabbed on whatever he could, scrambling his feet to stop his sprint.

“What the hell, Jaemin?” Renjun cursed at the younger’s sudden halt of movements, causing him to almost hit his head on a tree branch. He was tired so he was just limply holding on to the other’s neck. He squinted at the sudden bright light hitting his eyes in an attempt to see for himself what was it that made the other stop.

Wait, bright light?

Renjun gasped in shock when he saw what was ahead of them as well. It was a cliff; they already reached the far end of the Kordt forest, and that was why the sunlight could already pass through. However, that was not what worried them the most at that moment. It was the fact that they were cornered once again with nowhere to run, and with Renjun on Jaemin’s arms, it was impossible to fight back.

Jaemin could already hear the footsteps of the two remaining Class S Blue Wolf demons coming closer at an alarming speed, “Guess we have no choice,” he said in a low voice as he walked slowly toward the edge of the cliff.

That sent Renjun huge waves of panic, “W-wait, Na Jaemin, have you lost your mind?” he yelled, “That’s at least a 200 feet drop!”

“Hey, don’t move too much,” Jaemin scolded the injured mage on his arms, who was attempting to jump out of his hold, ”I can’t put you down, your foot will only get worse,”

“Na Jaemin, listen,” Renjun frantically called the pink head’s attention, “We won’t survive that drop, I don’t have enough magical energy to save myself, and you don’t have enough to save us both,”

Jaemin only stared intently at Renjun. There was something in the pink haired mage’s eyes that the blonde could not quite identify.

“Do you trust me, Renjun?”

“What do you-”

“Will you trust me?” Jaemin repeated, “I promise to get you out of here alive,”

Renjun had never expected Jaemin to act that way. He looked sincere; like he was really doing it for his well-being, like he was really concerned for him. Maybe it was that look that caused something to bloom inside the older mage. It was the feeling that he could trust the younger — that he could entrust his entire life to him.

So that was what he did.

“I’d haunt you for eternity if I die, Na,” Renjun threatened, but it lacked the bite it needed because he said that as he buried his face on the juncture of Jaemin’s shoulder and neck, inhaling the sweet strawberry scent to calm his nerves.

Jaemin only chuckled at that, “Whatever you say, _Injun,_ ”

Renjun could feel the exhaustion; maybe it was because of his injuries, his overwhelming emotions, or the calming scent of the pink haired mage. He was not sure if it could be called sleeping, fainting, or worse — dying, but whatever it was, it wanted him so bad. Darkness soon engulfed his senses.

Upon noticing that Renjun’s hold loosened, Jaemin assumed that the other had already fainted due to his injuries; he was losing too much blood. The pink haired mage pulled the blonde on his arms even closer, whispering all the comforting words he knew, before jumping off the cliff.

“You’ll be okay,”

 

Renjun slowly opened his eyes, the white walls of the room immediately filling his vision. On the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a brunette near the window.

“Donghyuck?” Renjun called out in a sleep-induced voice.

Donghyuck turned around in disbelief, which quickly morphed into an expression of happiness, “Oh, thank the gods,” Donghyuck immediately rushed to his side, “You’re awake!”

“W-what happened?” Renjun looked lost, “Why am I here?” a quick glance was all it took for the blonde to recognize that he was at the Capital’s Recovery Center.

“You don’t remember?”

Oh.

He fought a pack of Class S Blue Wolf demons in the deeper part of the Kordt forest. Jaemin came, then there was a cliff. Wait, they jumped off the cliff?

Renjun’s eyes widened at the realization as he checked his body for injuries, “I’m still alive?”

“Of course, you are, you dumbass,” Donghyuck lightly flicked the blonde’s forehead, “Jaemin carried you back to the camp that day, you were almost bathing in your own blood,” the brunette explained.

“That day?” Renjun was confused once again, “How long has I been out?”

“It’s been two days,” Donghyuck sat on the side of Renjun’s bed, reaching out his hand to caress the blonde’s cheek, “I was so worried when I saw you in that state, Jun,” he spoke softly.

The sudden display of affection was new to Renjun but he basked in it with open arms. He pulled his brunette friend for a hug, “I’m sorry for worrying you, Hyuck,”

Their relationship may be weird at times but both of them know that they care deeply, they care for each other in ways that only the two of them would understand.

 

Jaemin casually walked into Renjun’s room in the Recovery Center, expecting the blonde mage to still be unconscious, but when he saw the two roommates hugging each other, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Oh?” Donghyuck raised his brows, “I guess this is my cue to leave,” he winked at his injured friend. The serene atmosphere earlier quickly changed.

When Donghyuck left, Renjun immediately nagged, “Are you even using that tiny brain of yours? How could you jump at that height?”

“But we’re okay,” Jaemin grinned, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m being serious here,” Renjun almost rolled his eyes, “We seriously could have died, Jaemin,”

“I told you, haven’t I?” Jaemin looked at Renjun straight in the eyes, “I will get you out of there alive,”

Renjun could not quite understand. There was not even a single trace of fear in Jaemin’s eyes, like he was so certain that they could get out of there alive, but it effectively shut him up.

“It was all thanks to Professor Ten, he helped us immediately when we reached the camp,” Jaemin continued.

Oh. It all made sense. They did not get out of there unscathed after all.

Renjun looked down as he chewed on his lips out of habit, “I’m sorry for nagging, I know it was the only option we have at that time,” he said quietly.

Jaemin only hummed in response, eyes never leaving the older’s plush lips.

“...and thank you for saving me, mage partner,”

The older mage’s cheeks were reddening in embarrassment and he looked absolutely adorable, Jaemin just wanted to kiss him right then and there.

 

A week had already passed since the first practical examination of the new batch of mages. Renjun was back to his usual routine in the Academy. He was running late for Professor Seo’s class once again, but while he was struggling his way out of the crowded hallway, he saw Professor Ten on the far end, walking toward the opposite direction.

“Professor Ten!” Renjun immediately turned his heels toward that direction, a huge smile on his face.

That caused the professor to stop in his tracks, “Oh, if it isn’t Spellcaster Huang, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Professor,” Renjun beamed, “and I heard it was all thanks to you!”

“Huh? Thanks to me?” Professor Ten tilted his head in confusion, there was a crease forming on his forehead.

Renjun assumed it was simply an act of humility so he just shrugged it off, “No, really, thank you, Professor Ten. Thank you for saving my life,” he bowed his head in gratitude.

Just then, the bell signaling the start of the classes rang, and Renjun had to go without hearing the words that the recovery professor was about to say.

Professor Ten watched the small figure of the blonde mage run toward the opposite direction with furrowed brows, “Hmm,”

“Now, this is confusing,” the professor whispered to himself, “All of his fatal wounds were already healed when he was brought to me,”

He was about to go after the blonde mage when a deep sound of a bell reverberated throughout the hallway, the academy, and the entire Capital. No, it was not the bell signaling for the start of classes.

It was a signal from the Tower, followed by an echoing voice laced with urgency. He assumed it was Jaehyun, the Capital’s Head Wizard.

 

“I ask for everyone’s assistance; the Eastern Border City has been breached, I repeat, the Eastern Border City has been breached,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~


	4. Chapter 4

Chenle felt like his knees would give out any moment soon. There were so many questions swirling in his mind. If the gods love their people so much, then why would they let such an unfortunate thing happen?

All the magic users available in the Capital were deployed to the Eastern Border City as soon as the news broke out, but they came a little too late. The clan of the Eastern Head Wizard had already reclaimed the land without their help, but in that short period of time, when hundreds of demons were able to enter the city, caused tremendous and irrevocable damage. The casualties were high, the establishments were destroyed, the great city was engulfed by a huge fire — it almost felt like hell. Their race, along with other innocent humans, suffered heavy losses.

The young magic user absentmindedly walked around the destroyed city alone, almost tripping at the hand of a corpse sprawled on the ground. The man still had his eyes wide open, fear was embedded on his face, but there was no more life in him, the lower part of the body was missing while the remaining body was almost drowning in its own blood. Chenle felt like throwing up, he shook his head in denial. Northern Border City has never experienced an attack, but right in front of him, was the reality of their life.

Magic users were strong, but how come there were still people dying?

“Chenle!” a familiar voice called out, “Are you hurt?”

Chenle was pulled into a hug, “Jisung?” his voice cracked. He did not realize he was getting emotional upon witnessing the situation with his own two eyes.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Jisung checked the green head for injuries, “Let’s get you back to the Eastern Headquarters,”

“Wait, Jisung,” Chenle stopped Jisung, “I’m looking for Renjun-ge,”

“Renjun-ge?” Jisung asked in furrowed brows.

“The mage who walked me to your house a couple of weeks ago,” Chenle explained.

“Where is he?”

“I-I don’t know,” Chenle looked down, “I didn’t see him at the Capital so I just assumed he was deployed here, but he’s not here either,”

Jisung opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by Chenle’s surprised gasp.

“Jisung, you’re bleeding!” the green head immediately crouched down to inspect the wound. There was a long scratch on Jisung’s right leg, deep enough to leave a scar. One would almost miss it because it was hidden behind the other’s ragged pants, the material soaking a bit of the crimson blood.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Jisung assured Chenle, “The walls have been secured, but there are still a few demons roaming around the city, and I just happened to bump into one of them,”

“What kind of demon is it?” Chenle stubbornly remained crouched down to further inspect the wound despite Jisung’s attempt to help him up.

“I think- a Polistes demon?” Jisung unconsciously scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

“A Polistes demon?” the green head, who still had unshed tears in his eyes, stared up at him with wide eyes, “Oh my god, do you not know that Polistes demons carry poison that could kill?”

“I’m okay-”

“No, we are returning to the HQ this instant,” Chenle firmly said before dragging the much taller boy toward the Eastern Headquarters.

“W-wait, what about your Renjun-ge?” Jisung was struggling to catch up to the pace of the green head. He almost wondered how the other could walk so fast with those short legs.

“Jun-ge can take care of himself,” Chenle replied a few seconds after, cutely sniffing.

It was obvious to Jisung that Chenle was not used to the gruesome things he was witnessing at that moment, unlike him who was very familiar with it. He grew up in the Capital, in a clan that was always on the forefront of war against the demons, and because of the absence of the 16th vessels, his clan had to work double the usual; the responsibility was forced upon him at such an early age. He was not even officially a mage yet, but he was pretty confident with his skills which he gained through various battles of life and death on the border cities.

Jisung was aware that he only met Chenle a couple of weeks ago, but those moments when he was with him were fun. It made him feel like he really was still a kid despite the responsibilities he was entrusted with. Chenle told him that he was from the Northern Border City so it made sense that he had no real battle experiences yet because the said city has never experienced an attack for more or less a decade already. Seeing the small back of the green head leading him back to the Eastern Headquarters, as if protecting him from all the things that could harm him, it made him smile a little.

It almost felt like the dull and dark world became a little brighter.

 

There was a ruckus at the Eastern Plaza where the headquarters was located when they arrived. It was buzzing with people. “What’s going on?” Chenle looked around, confused.

“I’m not sure, but let’s go back to the HQ for the moment,” Jisung grabbed Chenle’s hand and led the boy out of the crowd.

When they reached the Eastern Headquarters, they were stopped by a high ranking wizard from entering.

“What?” Chenle could not help but raise his voice a little, “My friend here could be dying. He needs help, but you won’t let us in?” he motioned toward Jisung’s bleeding leg.

“My apologies,” Jisung recognized the high ranking wizard as the famous Spellcaster Wizard, Jungwoo, “Sol is inside, we were instructed by the Tower not to let anyone in,”

“Sol?” the green head blurted out, eyes widened in shock, “the vessel of the blessings of the sun?”

“Yes,” Jungwoo confirmed, “I believe he will aid all the wounded in a while, including your friend. Please wait for a bit,” the high ranking wizard could only offer them an apologetic smile.

Chenle was about to say a few more things but Jisung dragged him away before the green head could do so. The high ranking wizard was not at fault because he was just simply carrying out his orders. Having no other choice, they went back to the crowded plaza to wait for the healing rites which will be conducted by the ever powerful vessel of the blessings of the sun, Sol.

“Oh, Jeno hyung?” Jisung yelped when he bumped into a familiar brunette in the crowd.

“Jisungie?” Jeno immediately recognized the bright auburn hair which stood out in the sea of people, “I didn’t know you were deployed here as well,”

“Hyung,” Jisung almost scoffed, “You’re aware of my duties. Why are you acting so surprised?”

Jeno and Jisung first met when they were young, too young to actually understand what was being entrusted to them. Both of their clans have served their race for several generations, and they were no exception. The service of their clans played an important role in numerous winning battles of their race; Jisung’s clan was the sword while Jeno’s clan was the shield. The two young boys should be on the forefront of war along with the vessels; readily laying out their lives, if they must, to aid the vessels.

Jeno only ruffled the younger’s hair in response, flashing his trademark eye smile, “You’re here with a friend?”

“Oh, right,” Jisung realized he was still holding Chenle’s hand, a blush immediately creeping up his cheeks, “This is my friend, Chenle. He’s from the Northern Border City,”

“Oh?” another voice surprised the three magic users. It was from another brunette, but with streaks of rainbow dyes on his hair.

“Donghyuck,” Jeno moved a little to the side to make space for the newcomer, “I’m sorry, I lost you along the way,”

“You-” Chenle finally recognized the brunette who just joined their circle.

Jeno turned his head toward the green head, “Do you guys know each other?”

There was an evident crease on Jisung’s forehead at the sudden turn of events, “Wait, wait, we all know each other?”

“No,” Donghyuck raised a brow, “Who are you?” he directed his question toward Jisung.

Being the oldest of the four, Jeno took the responsibility to calm the other three. He raised both of his hands mid-air to stop the three from spewing nonsense, “Hold up, I suggest we introduce ourselves in a calm manner,” he then eyed his mage partner, “There’s no need for unnecessary sarcasm,”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes in response, “Well, okay, mister,” he faced Jisung completely, ignoring Chenle, just to annoy the hell out of his mage partner.

“Since your friend over there already knows me,” the brunette offered his hand for a handshake, “Hi, I’m Lee Donghyuck, I’m a first year Bowmaster Mage,”

“O...kay,” Jisung awkwardly stretched his hand out, but before Donghyuck could reach for it, the younger of the two changed it to a scissors gesture, as if they were playing rock-paper-scissors. The auburn haired magic user smirked when he saw the frown on the brunette’s face, “Got you,”

“You little-” Donghyuck would have casted a magical spell to get back at the younger if not for Jeno’s hand on his arm.

“Okay, that’s enough, you two,” Jeno exasperated as he tried his best to restrain his mage partner.

“Jisung-ah,” Chenle softly scolded Jisung who forcefully stopped his snickers and whispered a soft sorry directed at the green head, not at the brunette.

A soft sigh escaped Chenle’s lips before he introduced himself, “I’m Zhong Chenle from the Northern Border City. I’ll be entering the Academy next year,”

Upon noticing that Jisung was not going to introduce himself, Chenle continued, “and this is Park Jisung from the Capital,”

By that time, Donghyuck had already stopped struggling and started acting in a civilized way, much to Jeno’s relief, “Park? The Park clan of the Capital?”

Chenle often heard people saying that he is an observant kid, but he was not sure if his mind was playing tricks on him when he saw a dangerous glint in Donghyuck’s eyes. The expression of the brunette darkened for a split second, it almost scared him. However, it was immediately replaced by his usual sassy expression the moment Jeno spoke to introduce himself.

“For formalities’ sake, I’m Lee Jeno. I was born in the Capital but I grew up in the Southern Border City,”

At the mention of the Southern Border City, a certain mage popped up in Jisung’s mind, “Oh, hyung, where is Jaemin hyung?”

Jeno’s clan was situated in the Capital but when Jeno was old enough to hold a sword, he was sent to the Southern Border City to train under Nakamoto Yuta, the Southern Head Wizard. He met Jaemin there, and being the only students of the Southern Head Wizard, both of them immediately became the best of friends.

“I’m not sure, he probably overslept and is still at the Capital,” Jeno shrugged.

Donghyuck raised a brow at that, “You two are attached by the hips. I’m surprised he’s not here,”

“Hey, why are you all looking at me suspiciously like that?” Jeno almost pouted, “I’m not his keeper or something, how would I know where he is?”

“Whatever,” Chenle waved his hand to dismiss their conversation, “We’ll get going, we need to get Jisung’s wound treated,”

“You’re hurt?” Jeno’s eyes widened, “What happened?” he grabbed both of Jisung’s shoulders as he frantically searched the younger’s body for injuries. The older brunette was a little bit overprotective whenever it would concern his friends and acquaintances.

“I’m okay-”

Just then, there was a sudden uproar in the Eastern Plaza. It was almost fascinating how the people immediately moved to the side as they made way for what seemed like a divinity who was descending from the stairs of the Eastern Headquarters.

The figure was that of a teen who was probably around their age. The vessel of the blessings of the sun was wearing a flowing white robe with various golden ornaments on his arms and a golden headdress that covered half of his face, hiding his identity. The vessel walked with grace, power, and authority; he looked almost ethereal. Chenle was in awe. However, he had to snap out of it sooner than he had expected because he suddenly remembered Jisung.

“Jisung, we have to hurry,” Chenle grabbed Jisung’s hand in panic before he maneuvered inside the crowd, leading the way toward Sol.

Jisung could only send a small nod toward Jeno’s direction, excusing himself from the two brunette mages, before letting himself be dragged by a certain green head.

It took them a few minutes before they finally reached the center of the crowd, where the people made some sort of a pathway for Sol to walk on.

“Ah, over here!” Chenle shamelessly called the attention of the ever powerful vessel. Jisung would have pretended not to know Chenle if he did not care about him. He almost wanted to hide away in embarrassment.

The crowd was loud and chaotic, but to their surprise, Sol looked their way, and without delaying even for a second, walked toward their direction. Lucas, a high ranking Bowmaster Wizard, followed closely behind as the vessel’s escort.

Chenle tightened his grip on Jisung’s arms in surprise, “Am I dreaming, Jisung?”

In just a few seconds, Sol was already in front of them. Sol, in all his glory, was standing in front of them. Jisung could not stop himself from rolling his eyes while Chenle froze on his spot before becoming a stuttering mess, “P-please help my friend,”

Jisung made no move to show his wound which made Lucas frown, “Where are you hurt? Please cooperate as we only have a limited time,”

Chenle nudged Jisung with his elbow, so the auburn haired magic user motioned to his leg unwillingly, “I was attacked by a Polistes demon,”

Sol did not even chant any spell or ritual, a simple pat on the shoulder was all it took for Jisung to feel a strong magical energy enter his body, instantly closing the deep slash on his right leg. The auburn haired magic user was aware of his grudge against the vessels, but he had to admit that even he was amazed by the unearthly power the vessels possess.

Before Chenle could even say their gratitude, Sol was already being ushered toward the other casualties who need attention, but the green head could certainly not miss how the vessel’s eyes lingered on them longer than necessary.

 

“Why did you act that way, Jisung-ah?” Chenle cautiously asked while they were on their way back to Jisung’s house. They were back at the Capital after a long day of helping at the border city.

“I’m sorry, did I offend you?” Jisung quietly replied. He knew that there were people who worship the vessels as if they were gods and there was no way that they would let someone disrespect their gods.

“No,” Chenle shook his head, “I’m grateful for the vessels, it must have been hard for them, but I do not worship them,”

“It must have been hard for them, huh?" Jisung muttered, "But what about those people who are dying because it seems that the 16th vessels are more concerned in hiding their identity than helping this goddamned race?” 

Chenle did not know how to respond to that. All his life, he was taught about the greatness of the vessels; their noble acts, their great sacrifices, but he had the same thoughts earlier. Why were the vessels hiding?

“My father died last year while trying to reclaim a satellite village outside the Eastern Border City,” it was a barely audible whisper from the auburn haired magic user.

“You know what’s even more funny? Until his last breath, he was still hoping that those vessels would come,” Jisung grimly chuckled, “I was there, I saw him die slowly, but I couldn’t even do anything about it,”

Chenle had never witnessed such sorrow. Jisung was still young, so, so, young, yet he was forced to face such a tragedy. The world was far more cruel than he originally thought.

“I’m sorry,”

“No, don’t be, I’m already over it,” Jisung reassured the green head with a slight smile, “I just don’t get it. Why is there a need for people to die when they possess an unearthly power like that?”

Chenle is a very observant kid, and so, he noticed how Jisung’s smile did not quite reach his eyes and how the auburn haired magic user’s hands were shaking the entire time. He was certainly not over his father’s death yet.

 

The following day, all the mages available were once again gathered at the Central Plaza of the Capital. The situation was far more serious than what the Tower had thought. After sealing the Vortex that suddenly appeared outside the Eastern Border City, the Tower found another Vortex outside the Western Border City. It was still dormant, but they could not afford another unexpected attack. They would suffer heavy losses once again if that would happen.

A Vortex is a magical portal directly connected to the heart of the Dark Continent. Demons were using those portals to quickly bridge the gap between the Dark Continent and Celestia, the great country of the magic users. In order to prevent any more damage, the magic users must immediately close the Vortex, but there were two problems that the Tower must address first. The Tower was still not capable of mapping out the exact location of the Vortex so they would need to organize a group of competent high ranking wizards to locate and seal the portal. However, there was still an ongoing reclamation of a satellite village outside the Southern Border City and that was where most of the high ranking wizards were deployed, leaving the Tower with only a few ones.

That was the reason why the Arc Wizard, Taeyong, made the decision of sending a few high ranking wizards along with selected mages from the Academy for the mission.

 

“Renjun-ge, have you heard the news?” Chenle asked in a ridiculously high-pitched voice, his eyes widening in shock when he turned to look at his friend who just arrived at the Plaza, “Jun-ge, are you okay?”

Renjun looked exhausted; courtesy of the huge bags under his eyes. His shoulders were slumped while walking slowly, as if walking normally would physically pain him. He flinched at Chenle’s voice, “Why are you so loud so early in the morning, Lele?”

“What did you do yesterday?” Chenle scolded, “I didn’t even see you at all?” he was worried about the older’s well-being.

“I had to do some errands for the Tower,” Renjun lied.

 

On the other side of the Plaza, Jeno and Jisung were talking about something funny in hushed whispers when Jaemin arrived in a grumpy state.

“Man, I’m tired,” a yawn escaped Jaemin’s lips while he was stretching his arms.

“Huh, hyung, I thought you overslept yesterday,” Jisung wondered, “Why are you still tired?”

“I- I overslept?” Jaemin’s eyes wavered in confusion.

“You overslept, right?” Jeno butted in, “I tried waking you up but you wouldn’t budge,”

Then it all clicked in Jaemin’s mind, “Ah, right. I overslept,” he nervously chuckled.

Jisung sensed that there must be something going on, but before he could pry further, the voice of the Capital’s Head Wizard filled the entire Central Plaza.

“I sincerely thank you all for coming here,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I've been too busy to update this but I'm back, hopefully, I can find time to finish this uwu! Tbh, idk anymore lmao I feel like this fic is very self-indulgent; I just want to read nct/renmin in this kind of universe lol anyway thank you for reading~


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